Good News About Aging!?

Posted April 21st, 2008 at 10:24 pm in Boomer RVers

Getting Older Makes You Happier!

And that's great news for us baby boomers! According to my sources at the University of Chicago (actually John Faherty of the Arizona Republic newspaper) the older you are the happier you may be. It happens to be true in my case but really, what choice do I have? Pouting or stressing about getting older will give you a headache anyway. And guess what? – nobody gets out of this alive!

Proven by one of those mysterious "studies" that keep cropping up everywhere – you know, the ones that completely reverse what we have believed all our lives? This study isn't quite that dramatic, and if you are over the age of 50 you probably know the crux of it already. The theory behind that? We are supposed to have already figured things out by then – and it's too much work to sweat the small stuff.

Without too many of us being aware of it, this study has been going on for the last thirty years and the 28,000 participants who were interviewed agree that the common denominator of the group was the cumulative effect that aging seems to have on happiness. They found that the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of your life.

Older Means Mellower

This research indicates that it is time to debase the notion that older people are lonely and unhappy. People learn to be content with who they are as they grow older. And, speaking strictly for myself, I can tell you that this must be true because at this moment in my life I am happier than I have ever been! I am enjoying new freedoms that independence brings.

The kids have left the nest, and now have kids of their own. When the little devils get out of hand I just tell em to go home! Work is conducted at my pace with no one looking over my shoulder or second guessing each decision. I come and go as I please and I am blessed (so far) with reasonably good health. Ask me again how happy I am when I am 85 and you might get a different answer.

Young Mind – Old Body

A persons social circle can shrink over the years for many reasons, among them divorce, death, moves, etc. So it is important to maintain a socially active lifestyle if you want to maintain your positive attitude and happiness. One way to do this is to be a joiner. Get out and meet people who's interests mirror yours. Hiking, cooking, travel, crafting, volunteering are only a few ways you can meet others with mutual interests and make new friends. Do some excercise even if it's just walking.